Special Zumba Dance class Saturday to benefit East End Y program

By Elizabeth Lundblad

Thursday, January 3, 2013

With the New Year still fresh, people who made resolutions to get active or be healthy will have an easier time keeping those promises with an extended Zumba class being offered Saturday at the East End Y in Madison.

Called a Zumbathon for Dance, the two-hour exercise class also serves as a fundraiser for the Y's youth dance program.

Jamie Snyder, the East End Y's healthy living director, said the Zumbathon's proceeds will be used to rent a venue for the dance recital given by the Y's dance program. The cost for the marathon class is $10 per person. Dance instructors hope to raise $300.

Zumba, a trademarked Latin-inspired dance fitness program, was created in the mid 1990s by Alberto "Beto" Perez, according to the Zumba Fitness website, www.zumba.com. The program uses Latin and international music combined with salsa and merengue dance moves to give participants a full aerobic workout.

Snyder, also a registered Zumba instructor, said she taught traditional aerobic classes prior to Zumba's creation and has noticed Zumba draws a wider range of people.

"Zumba is just for everybody and the people who like Zumba are really nutty about it," she said. "It's really fun and part of the reason is it uses a little different music, not just your canned aerobic music."

The relatively low-impact workout serves people at various levels of fitness and can be modified to fit the participant's needs.

The benefit was thought up by dance instructors who wanted to draw a larger crowd with Zumba instead of offering a hip hop class, Snyder said.

The youth dance program at the East End Y has about 40 members ranging in age from 3 to 14. Classes offered include rhythm and movement, ballet, tap, jazz and hip hop. The program has been running for four or five years.

The Zumbathon for Dance is from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday at the East End Y, 730 N. Lake St., Madison. Those interested can register online at www.lakecountyymca.org or by calling the Y, 440-428-5125. People can also pay at the door.

The age range for participation is from 16 to 99. There are 100 slots available, according to the Y.